Auburn Tigers News: Charles Kelly on growing pains, Hugh Freeze on 'the right plan'
In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, Charles Kelly talks about the growing pains Auburn football is experiencing and Hugh Freeze affirms his plan for the program
It's been a tough few years for the Auburn football program. The Tigers are on their way to a fourth straight losing record and have had three different head coaches in the past five years alone, not to mention the countless turnovers with the assistant coaches.
Charles Kelly has certainly seen better days on the Plains, but he believes that what the staff is building has the potential to lift Auburn football back to its rightful place. Despite the troubling season the Tigers have had so far, Kelly believes the future of the program is bright.
"I know what this place is capable of," Kelly said, per Auburn Undercover. "We're capable of winning championships at Auburn, but there's a process you go through. There's going to be some growing pains along the way. Nobody in this building is happy with where we're at record-wise right now, but what we've got to focus on is 'are we developing the players and putting them in the right position in order to create a championship culture?'
"I have no doubt that coach Freeze has set the culture the way it should be here. Sometimes you don't get the results as soon as you want, but if you keep believing in what you believe in and keep working, you'll get the results."
Hugh Freeze affirms his plan for the program
On the same note, head coach Hugh Freeze is facing massive criticism for the way the 2024 season has gone so far. While no one expected Auburn to win the national championship this season, no one expected a regression from last year, either.
Still, Freeze believes he has put Auburn football on the right track to become a dominant force in the CFB world. Though the results have yet to show up on the field, Freeze brought in the #8 recruiting class last year and is shooting for the #1 class this season. The talent level is rising, and changes are happening.
“I think we better be focused on how you plan to build, and I’m pretty focused on that. I think we got the right plan. I actually think we’re further along,” Freeze said, per AL.com. “Having said that, I have to also clarify that they should be frustrated that we turned the ball over 13 times in three games and that’s three losses that easily could have been wins, so we have to own that as coaches and players.”
The rebuild continues, and the Tigers will take this weekend off before heading to Missouri on October 19.